Granularity

noun

say it: “gran-yuh-LAIR-ih-tee” /ˌɡrænjəˈlærɪti/

How finely data is split into columns, so each column holds the smallest piece you will need on its own.

What is Granularity?

Granularity — How finely data is split into columns. If you'll ever sort or filter by city, City needs its own column instead of being buried in one Address column; a first and last name in separate columns can be sorted by last name.

CREATE TABLE Members (
    MemberID   INT IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
    FirstName  NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    LastName   NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    City       NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL
);

In a sentence

• “Better granularity meant splitting Address into Street, City and PostalCode.”

Level: Apprentice · More Database terms at this level

Updated October 28, 2026